Membership

EXPLORING MEMBERSHIP & NEXT STEP

Asbury is an Equipping Church. It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ…he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living…part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. Ephesians 1:11 (Msg)

As an Equipping Church we have built systems to support gift-based ministries. Our goal is to grow people as they develop in their spiritual walks through worship, small group nurture and serving in areas of ministry for which God has gifted them. Our NEXT STEP class combines each participant’s Spiritual Gifts, Talents, Resources, Individual Style, Dreams (Passions), and Experiences into a Personal Profile that leads to fulfilling ministry opportunities. We believe that when people are being thoroughly and joyfully fulfilled in their ministry niches— they win, the church wins, and Christ wins.

Gifts-based Ministry: To find out more about how God has wired you and prepared you for ministry contact Mark Flamand mflamand@hotmail.com. There are several ways that you can complete the course and get involved both inside and outside the walls of Asbury Church. We want to serve our neighbors as well as our members/constituents.

DISCIPLE Bible Study

A thorough and applied study of the Bible.

DISCIPLE is an in-depth, discussion based Bible study. It’s aim is to transform, not merely inform–to develop closer followers of Christ. In DISCIPLE I: Becoming Disciples Through Bible Study, participants read over 70% of the Bible in 34 weeks, spending an equal number of weeks studying the Old and New Testaments. A study manual guides the daily reading of scripture, and provides expert commentary. A leader and twelve participants meet for 2-1/2 hours each week to watch a 10 minute video, then discuss what they have read. The thought-provoking discussion questions in the leader’s guide promote both learning and life application. At the end of the study, participants discuss the call God has on their lives. They counsel one another about their demonstrated abilities, gifts and skills. They guide one another into areas of servanthood and ministry.

Over 1.2 million people from 34 denominations have participated in this study. Materials have been translated into seven languages: Spanish, Korean, French, Cantonese, Mandarin, German and Russian. In addition to DISCIPLE I, there are three follow-up studies that follow the same format, using the same principles of daily Bible reading and weekly small group discussions.

Read what two Disciple course graduates said about their experiences:

Disciple has been an incredible journey. I signed up for this course because I knew that it was time to dig deeper into God’s word. While I certainly learned more about the Bible, I really have gained so much more. Growing up in the church, I knew the basics of many bible stories but this class showed me that these aren’t all isolated incidences. They all fit together in God’s plan and covenant with his people. They each play a unique part in Jesus giving us eternal life. We also each play a unique role in God’s plan. He has called us to be disciples, each with gifts to make up the body of Christ.~ Cindy Ward

I can’t remember the last time that I committed my life to something that lasted nine months! That in it’s self made this an incredible journey. The truth is that I very much looked forward to Wednesday mornings to study and get to know new friends better. What a pleasure it was to watch THEIR DICIPLESHIP in action and how that inspired me. “But that’s what it’s all about” is what Janice has been trying to point out to us since last September. A Bible study on strictly the scholarly merits would probably have been lost on me but the Disciple approach made the words meaningful and will make it more comfortable for me to be a witness to my faith.~ Bill Snyder